Holder for dished receptacles

ABSTRACT

An elongated strip-shaped body portion of stainless steel sheet material has a side facing upwardly when the holder is in use. The upwardly facing side is provided with longitudinally extending transversely spaced beads which are adapted to be received in turned-over peripheral margins of respective receptacles so that the latter are thus coupled to the holder.

United States Patent Herbold HOLDER FOR DISHED RECEPTACLES Werner R. Herbold, Oberderdingen, Germany Assignee: Blane & Co., Oberderdingen, Germany Filed: Nov. 30, 1970 Appl. No.: 93,782

lnventor:

Foreign Application Priority Data Dec. l2, qer manyu ..F 1960 343i U.S. Cl. 24/81 E, 126/33 Int. Cl. ..F24b 9/00, A44b 21/00 Field of Search ..206/65 CT, 65 R; 24/81 E; 126/33 51 Apr. 25, 1972 [56] References Cited 7. UN E TATES A N S ,l V 4 2,679,841 6/1954 Muckler 126/33 2,782,916 2/1957 Goenen ..24/s1 E x FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLlCATlONS 182,378 7/1922 Great Britain ..24/81 a Primary Examiner-Donald A. Griffin Attorney-Michael S. Striker 57 ABSTRACT I An elongated strip-shaped body portion of stainless steel sheet material has a side-facing upwardly when the holder is in use. The upwardly facing side is provided with longitudinally extending transversely spaced beads which are adapted to be received in' tumed-over peripheral margins of respective receptacles so that the latter are thus coupled to the holder.

9 Claims, 4 Drawing Figures PATENTEB msmz 3,657. 776

SHEET 3 BF 3 Fig. 1.

INVENTOR. IJEMIEIZ flllmaaw 5/ 10 Add My BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates generally to a novel article of manufacture, and more particularly to a novel holder for dished receptacles having a turned-over peripheral margin.

Holders of this type are used where receptacles of basinshaped or generally dished configuration are to be positioned in predetermined relationship, for instance in a steam table over a-water bath, in cafeterias, in industrial kitchens, in grocery stores and the like. Holders of this type are already known and made from stainless steel. They serve the purpose of connecting two or more of the dished receptacles so that they can be held and positioned in a cut-out of a counter or a steam table, in a heating drawer or under similar circumportion being in effect the bight. Again, the arms can then be made discontinuous in longitudinal direction of the stripshaped body portion when it is desired for them to constitute and act as abutments preventing longitudinally displacement of the coupled receptacles. Clearly, if the receptacles have a circumferentially extending turned-over margin, the juncture stances. The known holders are provided on their normally upwardly facing side with two longitudinally extending closely adjacent recessed grooves which are separated by a longitudinally extending projecting bead. The turned-over peripheral margins of the dished receptacles are hooked or inserted into between that side of the margin which is coupled with a bead section and the sides of the margin which extend at an angle thereto (for instance normal if the outline of the receptacle is quadratic) will be so located that these sides extending at an angle will extend outwardly through the interruptions or discontinuities of the bead. Thus, longitudinal displacement of the receptacle lengthwise of the strip-shaped body portion is precluded.

The novel features which are considered as characteristic for the invention are set forth in particular in the appended claims. The invention itself, however, both as to its construction andits method of operation, together with additional objects and advantages thereof, will be best understood from the these grooves so that the receptacles are connectedwith the holder thereby.

These. known prior-art constructions have the disadvantage that the bead separating the two grooves is visible because necessarily the margins of containers located at opposite lateral sides of the holder are spaced from one another by this bead. This is frequently undesirable from an aesthetic point of view, not to mention that the containers are capable of inadvertently and undesirably shifting longitudinally of the holder,

which is particularly disadvantageous if several small containers are connected on a side of the holder and are intended to be retained in their prepositioned relationship.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention, accordingly, to provide an improved holder of the type under discussion.

More particularly it is an object of the invention to provide such an improved holder which can be entirely concealed when dished receptacles are connected to it at its opposite lateral sides.

A concomitant object of the invention is to provide such an improved holder which prevents the receptacles connected thereto from undesired displacement longitudinally of the holder.

ln pursuance of the above objects and others which will become apparent hereafter, the improved holder according to the present invention for holding dished receptacles having a turned-over peripheral margin, has an elongated strip-shaped body portion a side of which faces upwardly when the holder is in use, and transversely spaced beads provided on this side extending longitudinally of the body portion and adapted to be received in the turned-over peripheral margin of respective receptacles for coupling of the same with the holder.

With the beads being received in the turned-over margins of the receptacles for coupling the same to the holder, the necessity for providing a center bead separating the grooves in the prior-art constructions, is avoided and in the absence of its existence such a center bead can obviously no longer be visible. In fact, the transversely spaced beads can be located so close together that when containers are coupled to the body portion at opposite lateral sides thereof, the holder will be entirely concealed by the turned-over tainers.

Moreover, the construction according to the present invention makes it very simple to prevent undesired longitudinal displacement of the containers with reference to the holder. This is achieved simply in that the beads canbe made discontinuous and constitute abutments whichprevent movement of the containers longitudinally of the strip-shaped body portion beyond their assigned position.

Generally speaking, the novel holder according to the present invention may have a U-shaped cross-section and the beads may be the arms of the U with the strip-shaped body peripheral margins of the confollowing description of specific embodiments when read in connection with the accompanying drawing.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIG. 1 is a top-plan view of an embodiment according to the. present invention, with several receptacles being shown connected to the novel holder;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary detail view, on an enlarged scale, of FIG. 1 with portions broken away and other portions shown in chain lines;

FIG. 3 is a section taken on line IlI-Ill of FIG. 2; and

FIG. 4 is a section taken on'line IV-IV of FIG. 2.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Discussing now the drawing in detail it will be seen that in FIG. 1 l have illustrated eight dished receptacles 12a, 12b and -14. These are located within a frame 10 shown in chain lines and which may for instance be a steam table or the like in a cut-out of which the containers are to be located.

The containers or receptacles 12a, 12b and l4a-l4f are held in position in the cut-out of the frame 10 bymeans of two of the holders according to the present invention which are identified as reference numeral 16 and whose opposite ends abut on and are supported by the frame 10.

The drawing, particularly FIGS. 24, clearly shows that each of the holders 16 according to the present invention is in form of a strip of sheet material, preferably sheet metal and advantageously stainless steel sheet metal, and that according to FIG. 3 they have a substantially U-shaped cross-section.

FIG. 4 shows that the opposite ends of the holders 16 are configurated so as to cooperate with an abutment surface provided on the frame 10. In the illustrated embodiment the opposite ends are provided with shoulders 16c.

The receptacles are provided with turned-over margins 20 and the upper side, that is the side which normally faces upwardly when the holders 16 are in use, is provided with longitudinally extending beads which are transversely spaced and receivable in the turned-over margins 20. In the illustrated embodiment the dimensions of the receptacles are such that for instance within the outlines defined by the frame 10 two,

large or three smaller of the receptacles can be accommodated next to each other.

Because of the possibility to vary the combinations of con- 16a and 16b, whereas the margin 20 of one of the shorter or smaller receptacles l4a-l4f receives two shorter sections 16b.

' the marginal, portions which cooperate with the bead sections,

extend outwardly through the discontinuities between consecutive ones of the sections whereby undesired displacement in longitudinal direction is avoided. In this manner larger and/or' smaller receptacles can be maintained in their 1 preselected positions'without any danger that they might become accidentally dislodged and slide longitudinally of the respective holder 16. Furthermore, the margins completely conceal the holder 16 against viewing from abovewhich is desirable.

it will be appreciated that the holder according to the present invention can be produced in a very simple manner by press-forming in that the beads are fonned by use of suitable equipment which, while it forms a raised bead on one side of the sheet-metal strip constituting the body portion of the respective holder 16, forms a corresponding depression on the other side. Of course, the beads also serve to reinforce the material of the body portions itself so that a lighter grade of sheet metal can be used than would otherwise be possible. In addition it will be clear that resort to the present invention makes it possible to produce such a holder in a very inexpensive manner, both as to the manufacturing and the subsequent selling price. The holder can be produced in a single deformation step, although it is of course possible to produce it in several steps if desired.

It will be understood that each of the elements described above, or two or more together, may also find a useful application in other types of constructions differing from the types described above.

While the invention has been illustrated and described as embodied in a holder for dished receptacles, it is not intended to be limited to the details shown, since various modifications and structural changes may be made without departing in any way from the spirit of the present invention.

, Without further analysis, the foregoing will so fully reveal the gist of the present invention that others can by applying current knowledge readily adapt it for various applications without omitting features that from the standpoint of prior art fairly constitute essential characteristics of the generic or specific aspects of this invention and, therefore, such adaptations should and are intended to be comprehended within the meaning and range of equivalence of the following claims.

What is claimed as new anddesired to be protected by Letters Patent is set forth in the appended claims.

I. As a novel article of manufacture, a holder for dished received in the turned-over peripheral margins of respective receptacles located at opposite lateral sides of said body portion for coupling said receptacles together, said bodyportion being so dimensioned that the margins of said receptacles are biased towards one another when said beads are inserted so that said body portion is concealed by said margins when in use.

2. As a novel article of manufacture, a holder for dished receptacles having a turned-over peripheral margin, said holder comprising an elongated strip-shaped bodyrportion having a side which faces upwardly when said holder'is in use; and transversely spaced straight longitudinally discontinuous beads provided on said side extending longitudinally of said body portion and adapted to be received in the turned-over peripheral margins of respective receptacles for coupling the same with said holder, the longitudinal 'discontinuitypf said beads enabling engagement wr the peripheral margins of a 4. An article of manufacture as defined in claim 2, whereineach of said beads comprises a pair of longitudinally spaced longer bead sections, and two pair of shorter bead sections intermediate said larger bead sections.

5. An article of manufacture as defined in claim 2, wherein said body portion consists of sheet material.

6. An article of manufacture as defined in claim 5, wherein said sheet material is sheet metal. 7

7. An article of manufacture as defined in claim 5, wherein said sheet material is rust-free sheet metal.

8. An article of manufacture as defined in claim 2, wherein said body portion consists of sheet metal and has an additional side opposite the first-mentioned side, and wherein said beads are deformations in said sheet metal and are backed on said additional side by correspondingly configurated depressions.

9. An article of manufacture as defined in claim 2, wherein said holder composed of said body portion and said beads is of substantially U-shaped cross-section. 

1. As a novel article of manufacture, a holder for dished receptacles having a turned-over peripheral margin, said holder comprising an elongated strip-shaped body portion of sheet metal, said body portion being of U-shAped cross-section and having a side which faces upwardly when said holder is in use; and transversely spaced beads provided on said side extending longitudinally of said body portion and adapted to be received in the turned-over peripheral margins of respective receptacles located at opposite lateral sides of said body portion for coupling said receptacles together, said body portion being so dimensioned that the margins of said receptacles are biased towards one another when said beads are inserted so that said body portion is concealed by said margins when in use.
 2. As a novel article of manufacture, a holder for dished receptacles having a turned-over peripheral margin, said holder comprising an elongated strip-shaped body portion having a side which faces upwardly when said holder is in use; and transversely spaced straight longitudinally discontinuous beads provided on said side extending longitudinally of said body portion and adapted to be received in the turned-over peripheral margins of respective receptacles for coupling the same with said holder, the longitudinal discontinuity of said beads enabling engagement with the peripheral margins of a plurality of receptacles which are shorter than said body portion by different extents, and said beads constituting abutments for preventing undesired longitudinal displacement of such shorter receptacles.
 3. An article of manufacture as defined in claim 2, said margins having a predetermined width; and wherein said beads are spaced transversely by a distance so selected with reference to said width that said side of said holder is concealed when said beads are engaged with the margins of the receptacles located at opposite sides of said holder.
 4. An article of manufacture as defined in claim 2, wherein each of said beads comprises a pair of longitudinally spaced longer bead sections, and two pair of shorter bead sections intermediate said larger bead sections.
 5. An article of manufacture as defined in claim 2, wherein said body portion consists of sheet material.
 6. An article of manufacture as defined in claim 5, wherein said sheet material is sheet metal.
 7. An article of manufacture as defined in claim 5, wherein said sheet material is rust-free sheet metal.
 8. An article of manufacture as defined in claim 2, wherein said body portion consists of sheet metal and has an additional side opposite the first-mentioned side, and wherein said beads are deformations in said sheet metal and are backed on said additional side by correspondingly configurated depressions.
 9. An article of manufacture as defined in claim 2, wherein said holder composed of said body portion and said beads is of substantially U-shaped cross-section. 